CAIRO
(AP) — Volunteers in white lab coats, surgical gloves and masks stood
on the back of a pickup truck Monday along the banks of the Nile River
in Cairo, rummaging through stacks of rare 200-year-old manuscripts that
were little more than charcoal debris. The
volunteers, ranging from academic experts to appalled citizens, have
spent the past two days trying to salvage what's left of some 192,000
books, journals and writings, casualties of Egypt's latest bout
of violence.

Institute d'Egypte, a research center set up by Napoleon Bonaparte
during France's invasion in the late 18th century, caught fire during
clashes between protesters and Egypt's military over the weekend. It was
home to a treasure trove of writings, most notably the handwritten
24-volume Description de l'Egypte, which began during the 1798-1801
French occupation.

The
compilation, which includes 20 years of observations by more than 150
French scholars and scientists, was one of the most comprehensive
descriptions of Egypt's monuments, its ancient civilization and
contemporary life at the time.

The
Description of Egypt is likely burned beyond repair. Its home, the
two-story historic institute near Tahrir Square, is now in danger of
collapsing after the roof caved in...

At a news conference Monday, a general from the country's ruling
military council said an investigation was under way to find who set the
building on fire. State television aired images of men in plainclothes
burning the building and dancing around the fire Saturday afternoon.
Protesters also took advantage of the fire, using the institute's
grounds to hurl firebombs and rocks at soldiers atop
surrounding buildings.

We know what will follow. The protesters will blame the military, the military will blame the protesters, and the truth will never be known. But we all know that incidents like this are often covers for rampant theft and looting. Personally, I have no doubt that a lot of valuable books, maps, and manuscripts will be finding their way into private collections.

The discussion thread at Reddit raises a number of crucial points, including the extremely complex question of repatriating archaeological artifacts to their original locations, and digitizing historic material before the items are lost.

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